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Dahlia Pasik, "Almost" MD

Dahlia Pasik grew up in Long Beach, NY, a few short blocks from the beach. She graduated with a Bachelors in Biology from Stern College of Yeshiva University NY, NY and is currently an MD Candidate of the class of 2020 at Technion American Medical School in Haifa, Israel - where she gets to enjoy a local beach there as well. Aside from her constant indulgence of living in beach towns, medicine has been her calling since elementary school, and she looks forward to fulfilling her dream of healing the world.

They say dentists have a high rate of suicide due to the anxiety associated with their jobs. A criminal justice professor at Wayne State University, Steven Stack, studied the correlation between dentistry and suicide. In 1996 he conducted a study that cited several years of previous research on suicide rates among dentists and proved that being a dentist increased one’s risk of suicide by 564 percent! Job burn-out is a real thing. Or, in our case, physician burn-out. As future doctors, we like to think that once we become board-certified snazzy physicians, life will be perfect. We will love our jobs that we’ve worked so hard towards, and every day at the job will feel like a true gift. Well, not to be the bearer of bad news, but that won’t necessarily be the case. So I am here to expose the ugly truth of medicine; ie., the medical specialties yielding the highest reported rate of burn-out. According to the Mayo Clinic, job burn-out is defined as the following: “Job burn-out is a special type of job stress — a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work.” The Mayo Clinic then states several factors that may lead to job burn-out. To name a few, these can be, but are not limited to: Lack of control, unclear job expectations, dysfunctional workplace...

Many people often would study abroad for medical school, especially if they want a different experience. Dahlia Pasik lists the best reasons why studying medicine in Israel is a unique and fulfilling experience. Kosher Food. And a lot of it – Whether you are Jewish, Italian, Christian, or perhaps a bit of all three, there is one thing Israel is in no shortage of for one to enjoy – and that’s kosher food. Sure, you will likely find kosher products distributed amongst various supermarkets in countries in the USA and in Canada, but not close to the proportion that Israel has to offer. So whether it’s falafel, shawarma, or just a good taste of steamy fresh potato kugel (Yiddish for pudding) you’re craving, the Holy Land has got you covered. More Hands-On Medical Experience – Israeli culture is quite different than typical American/Canadian culture. I remember when I was a premed and was looking to shadow a doctor in a locally based hospital in NY, there were so many permission forms to fill out and medical records to be tracked, I might have been better off just never shadowing. Once approved to follow this particular doctor, the hospital was so stringent about non-medical professionals being able to observe medically related procedures, I probably would’ve gained more exposure from watching a few melodramatic Greys Anatomy episodes. Well, Israel is different in...

Most of us probably remember the old nursery rhyme when we used to jump rope as kids that goes, “A rich man, a poor man, a beggar man, a thief, a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian chief…”. Let’s focus on the two proceeding professions mentioned in this well-known rhyme: “a Doctor, a Lawyer”. The song mentions these two popular careers as separate entities, with the presumption that most individuals choose to become either one. (Which is commonly the case.) My question is, can someone who has a serious knack for the U.S. Constitution as well as a lust for bloody cadavers feasibly pursue both law and medicine? Becoming a JD/MD is no simple feat. Premed HQ has helpfully curated a list of U.S. programs that make attaining this joint degree possible: Arizona Mayo Medical School / Arizona State University Program Name: Mayo Medical School MD/JD Dual Degree Program with Arizona State University Timeline: 2 Years Med, 2 Years Law, 2 Years Split Apply: After 2nd Year of Medical School Requirements: LSAT, Good Academic Standing Program Website: www.law.asu.edu/admissions/Admissions/JDProgram/JDMD.aspx Arkansas University of Arkansas College of Medicine Program Name: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Combined Degree Program for MD/JD Degrees Timeline: 2 Years Law, 2 Years Med, 1 Year Law, 1 Year Med Apply: Concurrently with Medical School Application Requirements: LSAT, USMLE Step 1, Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Program Website: ualr.edu/law/files/2011/04/JD-MD-Description.pdf Connecticut Yale University School of Medicine...

As a pre-med and a former science major, I’m constantly on the search for study aides to assist in the dreaded all-nighters before exams. I tried them all: 5-hour energies, coffees with double-shots of espresso, or the simple fix of caffeinated soda. However, after some time, I grew to not like any of my usual caffeinated options. The 5-hour energies did not taste very good (after-taste was plech!), too many coffees in a row left me feeling quite nauseous, and soda just simply did not always do the trick. I took the next step in my caffeine addiction journey. I decided to do an SDN search (the all-powerful www.studentdoctor.net) to seek out a study aide that people are currently using. And interestingly, what came up was not simply a product that could be picked up at your local Walgreens. Actually, it was an Amphetamine-containing drug that requires prescription by a Psychiatrist. And that drug being, Adderall. Given the amount of people on the SDN forum that proudly attested to having taken this drug on a regular basis without a prescription, one may infer that the drug is one of those “light-weights” and getting it from a friend is no biggie. However, after subsequently researching the drug, I realized quickly that this was not the case. Fox Adderall contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are two central...

Man down. It’s a typical Thanksgiving family get-together. But within ten minutes, your great-uncle takes a stab at the interesting looking sesame salad located behind the steaming sweet potato pie. Immediately after tasting it, his throat starts to swell, his skin becomes itchy, and it becomes increasingly harder for him to breathe. Moments later, he is passed out on the floor. A life-threatening anaphylactic reaction has begun. Unfortunately, your great-uncle does not carry around his EpiPen with him at all times. Perhaps there is an expired EpiPen sitting at the bottom of his bookcase collecting dust. But that isn’t going to cut it when his air pathways are constricting at a rapid pace and his blood vessels are dilating. Your great-uncle is not alone in neglecting to carry his EpiPen despite his severe food allergies (in this case, apparently sesame), and his doctor’s advice. Even if the EpiPen is on-hand, many people do not know how to use it. Dr. Talal Nsouli, a fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology said, “a recent study found nearly 75 percent of people who own an EpiPen have no idea how it actually works, so training school nurses, teachers, coaches and even allergic kids themselves is key.” He emphasized the importance of carrying an EpiPen after Cameron Espinosa, a 13-year-old Texan, died after a fire ant bite and was...